Thursday, 08 February

1.   So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2.   Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob!" And he said, "Here I am." 3.   So He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. 4.   "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again ; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes." 5.   Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6.   So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him. 7.   His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt. 8.   Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn. 9.   The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 10.   The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. 11.   The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12.   The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13.   The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron. 14.   The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 15.   These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty–three. 16.   The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 17.   The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel. 18.   These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons. 19.   The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. 20.   And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti–Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 21.   The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 22.   These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all. 23.   The son of Dan was Hushim. 24.   The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 25.   These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all. 26.   All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, were sixty–six persons in all. 27.   And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy. 28.   Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen. 29.   So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. 30.   And Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive." 31.   Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, "I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, ‘My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32.   ‘And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.’ 33.   "So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34.   "that you shall say, ‘Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians."

1.   Then Zophar the Naamathite answered and said: 2.   "Therefore my anxious thoughts make me answer, Because of the turmoil within me. 3.   I have heard the rebuke that reproaches me, And the spirit of my understanding causes me to answer. 4.   "Do you not know this of old, Since man was placed on earth, 5.   That the triumphing of the wicked is short, And the joy of the hypocrite is but for a moment? 6.   Though his haughtiness mounts up to the heavens, And his head reaches to the clouds, 7.   Yet he will perish forever like his own refuse; Those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’ 8.   He will fly away like a dream, and not be found; Yes, he will be chased away like a vision of the night. 9.   The eye that saw him will see him no more, Nor will his place behold him anymore. 10.   His children will seek the favor of the poor, And his hands will restore his wealth. 11.   His bones are full of his youthful vigor, But it will lie down with him in the dust. 12.   "Though evil is sweet in his mouth, And he hides it under his tongue, 13.   Though he spares it and does not forsake it, But still keeps it in his mouth, 14.   Yet his food in his stomach turns sour; It becomes cobra venom within him. 15.   He swallows down riches And vomits them up again; God casts them out of his belly. 16.   He will suck the poison of cobras; The viper’s tongue will slay him. 17.   He will not see the streams, The rivers flowing with honey and cream. 18.   He will restore that for which he labored, And will not swallow it down; From the proceeds of business He will get no enjoyment. 19.   For he has oppressed and forsaken the poor, He has violently seized a house which he did not build. 20.   "Because he knows no quietness in his heart, He will not save anything he desires. 21.   Nothing is left for him to eat; Therefore his well–being will not last. 22.   In his self–sufficiency he will be in distress; Every hand of misery will come against him. 23.   When he is about to fill his stomach, God will cast on him the fury of His wrath, And will rain it on him while he is eating. 24.   He will flee from the iron weapon; A bronze bow will pierce him through. 25.   It is drawn, and comes out of the body; Yes, the glittering point comes out of his gall. Terrors come upon him; 26.   Total darkness is reserved for his treasures. An unfanned fire will consume him; It shall go ill with him who is left in his tent. 27.   The heavens will reveal his iniquity, And the earth will rise up against him. 28.   The increase of his house will depart, And his goods will flow away in the day of His wrath. 29.   This is the portion from God for a wicked man, The heritage appointed to him by God."

29.   "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30.   "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31.   "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32.   "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33.   "So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near––at the doors! 34.   "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. 35.   "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. 36.   "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. 37.   "But as the days of Noah were , so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38.   "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39.   "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40.   "Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41.   "Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42.   "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43.   "But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44.   "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 45.   "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46.   "Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47.   "Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48.   "But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ 49.   "and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50.   "the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51.   "and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.